Fleeting Countenance
by Ereneid
Summary: He always knew that Sakura would never abandon him, even more so in his time of need. At the end of every day, when all was said and done, she was nothing more but a mere pawn to him – how very wrong he was. SasuSaku. Rated T just to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

Ereneid's first collaboration fic is now up, and it is a SasuSaku pairing fic! Thank you for taking some time to read the fic we have created/made (do thank Erestor, because most of the parts in this fic was done by him) and we hope that you enjoy reading it as well. Below is the whole summary of the fanfic:

**Summary:** He always knew that Sakura would never abandon him, even more so in his time of need. Her mind, body, heart and soul will always be unmistakably his, even though he never went out of his way to merit such a favorable reaction from her. At the end of every day, when all was said and done, she was nothing more but a mere pawn to him; just a woman who had ultimately agreed to be his baby maker – how very wrong he was.

Disclaimer: We do not know Naruto. It belongs to Kishimoto Masashi. We, however, only own the plot.**  
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**Fleeting Countenance**

**Chapter 1**

The day had started normal enough. Everything looked perfect, as if nothing could ever go wrong and all was indeed right with the world. If only she knew better…

Looking back, she then saw with utmost clarity – everything that had happened earlier on can be exactly likened to that of a calm before a storm. By the time she had realized things for what they really were, it was already too late.

_Five years without any contact whatsoever…_

_He suddenly had the gall to return to us, flashing that trademark haughty smirk of his…_

_The minute our eyes met, I just knew… that he was up to no good…_

Sakura smiled at her reflection in the mirror, somewhat feeling more than ready to tackle a brand new day all on her own. Her work load at the hospital had been a total bitch for the past few days, leaving sparse time for rest in between shifts what with all the illnesses going about and the sudden increase of Konoha's shinobi out on missions.

Feeling quite content with her overall appearance and becoming increasingly worried on the telling off that Tsunade would be giving her if ever she were to come in late, she quickly made her way out of her house, ever unmindful of the distant murmurings and the finger pointing that were happening in quick succession around her.

"Have you heard?"

Sakura looked up quickly from her engrossed running, cheeks flushed, as she discreetly focused her gaze on the pair of young women gossiping at the distance. Though she hated to admit it - for she was not one to engage on such frivolous behavior herself, something about their brief exchange had immediately caught her attention.

"They say that there has been a sighting of him near the village just now."

_She wasn't prepared for any of this. None of them were._

"_No, not this one"_

_Anxious emerald eyes roved about the many doors that had lined through the corridor that she was currently in. Sweat slowly trickled down to her brow as she hastily made a move to wipe it away, breathing harshly as she did so. _

"_Iie…not now. Not when I still haven't found him…"_

_Much to her chagrin, Sakura had already found herself to be at her limit. The crippling fatigue along with the foreboding prospect of not even finding him was steadily gnawing at her jumbled nerves by the minute. It didn't even help that she was particularly frustrated with everything at the moment, her mind completely in disarray, unable to form any coherent thought._

_With the rate things were going, if they didn't find him soon…_

"_Damn it!"_

_Sakura quickly bit back a curse as she had again found herself face to face with a dead end. Desperately looking around for any alternative routes that she could possibly take, she mumbled off-handedly, the underlying frustration and longing easily felt through her voice. "Sasuke-kun, just where the hell are you?!"_

_It had all happened too fast. _

_Next thing she knew, there was a loud explosion in the distance… _

_She carefully strained her ears, trying hard to pinpoint the source of the whole commotion. The sound of frantic steps was then heard as she had hurried along the various corridors, only stopping for breath, a very prominent smile on her face, when she had seen a large crevice on a particularly lengthy section of the wall that she was currently facing. _

_And even amongst all the varying debris and rubble that were currently lying in pieces around her, she swore that nothing more could have had looked particularly ethereal to her at that moment. _

_Numerous long streams of light were filtering in through the many cracks that had lined through the messed up wall, and that large gaping hole in the center – it was an outright invitation, the very embodiment of everything that she had ever wished for to happen all these years - that one in a million chance of possibly seeing him, here and now… _

_Alive, breathing and in the flesh…_

_And she couldn't help but just grin bitterly despite the current situation, albeit wondering to herself on how something that was the result of mindless destruction could in turn be so beautiful in its own right. _

_She clenched her fists tightly, as if to once again reassure herself that everything would turn out alright in the end. There was no turning back for her now. _

"_Just a little more… until I see him."_

_And she was quick to move, hoping against all hope that it was not too late._

She hadn't felt this way ever since that disastrous end of a rescue mission that had happened a few years back. Sakura promptly bit back the bile that was threatening to escape from her mouth, quickly chastising herself for the momentary show of weakness.

_Sakura ran as fast as she could to where her instincts told her. She was tired of thinking; the medic nin just let her feet take her wherever she needs to go._

_Sai? she quickly ran towards her 'temporary' teammate and scanned him as quick as she could for any injuries. Apparently, the Ne member was unharmed, though he was not looking at her, but rather, somewhere..._

"_Sakura ka?"_

_And so they meet again…_

"_Sasuke…-kun…?"_

_Then and there, she just knew, that time had indeed been particularly harsh on all of them. Really, it was quite amazing to see on what a few years can do to completely change a person._

_She suppressed the shudder that had threatened to come out when she had first laid her eyes on him after all these years._

_Sasuke looked different now. Gone was the black neck band outfit with matching shorts, as well as the bandages on his arms and legs. The man who had disappeared for two and a half years now wore a robe that bares his smooth chest that was well-toned. If one would look closely, on his back, near the collar was the Uchiha insignia, though it was now sized up probably no bigger than a shuriken._

_A navy blue-colored cloth was tied over his black-colored trousers, and the signature thick, purple cord-like belt worn by Otogakure nins was wrapped around twice on his waist. While Orochimaru favored his 'belt' to stand up on its own and stand out, the Uchiha avenger was rather modest, choosing to tie it on his left side instead and let it hang loosely._

_He had definitely grown to be a handsome young man – a definite heartbreaker even; she had no qualms about that. But what had struck her the most among all these changes were those cold, cold emotionless eyes of his…_

_Sakura quickly looked away, pained beyond words, not bearing to look at him any further. It had hurt - it hurt a lot to see the person you love throw away everything he had just for the sake of revenge. _

_Then and there, she just knew, that the gap that she had been trying to bridge between them since forever was made even wider; and this time around, she wasn't even sure if there was still a hope that she could ever reach for him inside those cold walls that he had painstakingly built up to protect himself._

_If only…If only things were different… _

It disgusted her, that he still had such a firm hold on her emotions after all this time. She thought that she was already over him, quickly coming into terms with the fact that she was never the one to blame for his sudden departure from Konoha.

_Sasuke stared down at all of them, his former comrades, an air of arrogance about him. _

_Sakura shook her head slowly, the very last vestiges of disbelief still etched on her features. This was truly not the Sasuke-kun that she had come to know and love. All those years that he had spent away with the Snake Sannin, it had definitely changed him for the worse. _

"_Can a person who can't even save one of his friends become Hokage?"_

_Sasuke was mocking them, the underlying malice and dark intent oozing in every word. It had all happened too fast; in the span of a few precious seconds, she was once again forced to be an unwilling bystander, as he had just attempted what she had thought then to be the unthinkable – raising his sword against Naruto, the one person that he had considered as a brother all these years, in an attempt to kill him._

_So different from before…_

_A determined glint had appeared on her eyes as she tried hard to control the sudden tumult of emotions welling up inside her. Clenching her hands tightly at her sides, Sakura glared up at the Uchiha hatefully, much too engrossed with the current ordeal that she hadn't noticed the small trail of blood running from the palms of her hands, the dark red blending well with the brown, as it quickly came into contact with the ground that she was currently standing on._

_She would definitely prove it to him – prove to him that she was not the same naïve defenseless girl he had left on that cold unforgiving bench a few years back. _

If only she had been stronger, then she would have had more to present to him – would have probably given him enough reason to stay with her, or just even take her along with him on his quest for power. But she was never going to be enough for him, wasn't she?

_You were always so selfish, even way back then._

Sakura broke out from her reverie, smiling sadly. Uchiha Sasuke… he never did care for anyone other than himself, didn't he?

_Wherever you are right now… I just hope you're happy._

Casting a final sideways glance at the gossiping women at the distance, she continued on her way, a wistful smile on her lips - unfortunately failing to stick around for a while to hear what one of the gossiping women was about to say next.

"Yes, you've heard right. But, he hasn't been only sighted. Uchiha Sasuke's finally back to stay - for good"

* * *

It had been so long ago, five years to be exact, since he had last step foot on his home village. He would have had particularly enjoyed the experience, nostalgic as it was, if he had not been currently under the impression that his presence - or even the merest thought of it - was particularly uncalled for at the moment. 

Truth be told, Sasuke couldn't exactly blame them for acting in such a manner towards him, but the least thing they could do was to be at least be subtle about it. He knew that he had done a myriad of unspeakable wrongs, a vast majority of them were even towards people that he hadn't even bothered to get the names of, but he had done them all for the sake of achieving power – all for a power that he could use to ultimately put an end to _his_ existence.

_He was desperate for power…_

And then it came, that one fateful day when he had finally succeeded on his life long mission – exacting revenge on the one man that had made his life a living hell.

But as he stared, mesmerized, at the bloodied sword that he had held with such a firm grip on his hand, he couldn't help but once again ask himself as he looked back on his troubled past - on the family that he had lost at such a young age, on the friends that he had ultimately betrayed in his unrelenting search for power, and on the strong desire for revenge that had so consumed his every waking moment all these years – was it even all worth it to begin with?

_Was this what my family would have wanted for me?_

And amidst all the snide remarks and the finger pointing that was going on behind his back, and with the numerous ANBU present flanking him at all sides to escort him to the Hokage, he still didn't know the answer.

Smiling bitterly despite himself, he shook his head slowly, finding the whole situation to be vaguely amusing on his part. The Uchiha Sasuke was – of all things – _unsure_? He suppressed the snort of indignation that had threatened to come out of him that moment, obviously nonplussed at the idea.

Well, it was either that, or he just refused to acknowledge the truth and the harsh repercussions that came along with it. Knowing him, he wasn't one for weaknesses. He hated it, definitely abhorred the feelings that had coursed through him at the merest thought of having regrets – regrets for doing the things that he did.

_What was there left to live for?_

_He had nothing left…had nothing more to give…_

His head was bowed, face currently devoid of all emotion. The distant ticking of a clock was the only one there to keep him company as he patiently waited for the Hokage, who had claimed to have been particularly busy at the moment, to accommodate him.

Truth be told, he had a fair amount of idea on what to expect from the little rendezvous that he will be having with the Hokage later – he is an S-class missing nin after all.

And after some careful deliberation that had most probably stemmed out from sheer utter boredom – much to his chagrin, he had deduced that things didn't actually bode too well for him at the moment.

No surprises there.

Well, there was no use crying over spilled milk. He was young and impulsive then, and he had done what he thought was best at that time. Besides, he preferred to get things quickly done and over with.

And with the rate things were going…

Sasuke closed his eyes as he sighed softly, somewhat feeling drained all of a sudden. These past few days had been a particularly trying time for him, and coupled with all the mindless waiting… Let's just say that he's not much of a happy guy at the moment - rather far from it really.

_Please, just let it all end…_

"Uchiha."

_Bingo._

He opened one eye lazily to peek at the person that had such audacity to disturb him at his brief moment of rest – though he already had a good idea on who it was - the barest hint of a smirk on his lips.

A very much disapproving Tsunade was currently looming over him, her arms over her chest. He could tell just right off the bat that she was not that pleased to see him. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes, frowning slightly – his irritation with her manner of dealing with him quickly growing by the minute.

Well, since he hadn't given her a first good impression – God, help him, as he wasn't even going to do anything to make her think otherwise - then might as well make the most out of it, right?

"Hn. About time, old hag…"

Too bad that he hadn't noticed the fist that was currently hurtling towards him - by the time he had actually noticed, it was already too late. There was a loud thud as Tsunade's fist had connected soundly with his head.

Cursing softly as he struggled to remain conscious, the last thing he saw before fainting altogether was Tsunade's smug face peering down at him. Then and there, he knew that she had won their little battle, but no one said that he had to like it one bit.

_Man… that's going to leave a bruise…  
_

* * *

He woke up after a few hours, and the Uchiha noticed that he had been unceremoniously transferred to a holding cell. Judging from the light that had shown through the small window of the detention area, it was already noon. Damn the old hag... she had managed to make him doze off for a few hours or so. 

"Had a nice dream?"

Speak of the devil...

The Godaime Hokage was sitting on the dirty flooring just outside the grills of the holding cell he was in, a small bottle of sake just beside her. The saucer used for drinking the said liquor was on her slender fingers – the very same seemingly frail fingers that were also used to knock him out for a few hours or so. "Had a nice dream?" she repeated.

Sasuke chose not to reply. Maybe, just maybe, the old hag would shut up.

Unfortunately for him, that was not the case. "Want some _sake_?" she asked again, trying to initiate conversation.

"I'm not yet twenty." he informed her in a voice that could pass off as 'polite' in his terms. Unfortunately, for many, it sounded quite rude. However, Tsunade chose to ignore it and continued her drinking.

"Yes, but does that mean you're not yet ready to start reviving the clan?"

His head snapped at the mention of the word 'clan'. The raven-haired Sharingan user stared down and hard at the village leader. "Are you implying something, you old hag?"

"Not really. If you choose to believe that, I will not hold it against you." the pigtailed woman said, taking a last few sips on her _sake_ saucer before setting it down. Just as the said porcelain had been set down, her cinnamon-colored irises met Sasuke's onyx-colored ones. "But then again, I'll get straight to the point, Uchiha."

"Fine."

"You're the last Uchiha alive. The last." Tsunade placed an emphasis on her last statement. "Your clan is one of Konohagakure's pride, beside the many powerful clans that reside in the village. Your _kekkei genkai_ is of utmost importance to the village as well, and is in on the brink of extinction. You understand what it is that I am saying?"

"... Not really."

Tsunade resisted the urge to grab him by the collar of his robes and slam him over and over again against the grills to snap the damn arrogance of his. "Fine. As Godaime Hokage, I order you to get married to my protégé."

Tense silence filled the small room. The blonde woman waited for his reply, and this is what she got: "... You want me to get married to the girl holding your pig?"

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Erestor speaks: 

If you would so as to kindly give us reviews, we would greatly appreciate it!

What he said. Please do review!


	2. Chapter 2

Sorry for the late update. It took me a long time to decide what to do with this chapter, and it was only until 2 AM that I started writing this chapter like crazy! Erestor and I had a fun time writing this chapter (he helped me with the beta), so I hope you guys will like it too!

Disclaimer: We do not own Naruto. It rightfully belongs to Kishimoto Masashi. We, however, only own this plot.

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**Chapter 2**

That. Was. It.

She grabbed the collar of his robes and slammed his chest over and over again against the cell walls he was confined it. Damn that Uchiha! Who did he think he is?! He was playing dumb! "Damn it, Uchiha Sasuke, play dumb one more time…!"

"I'm serious." he said flatly.

Immediately, Tsunade let go of him and let out a smirk instead. "Is that so…" she trailed off, wondering if it would be good if he sees with his very own eyes who her protégé was. Definitely, it wasn't Shizune… but someone else.

The S-rank nukenin might not notice it, but she was definitely not someone whom he could push over like before.

_Ah, well. Whatever._ She reached for her pocket.

Sasuke almost raised his eyebrows in surprise when he saw the Godaime Hokage-sama took out a key from her pocket to unlock the holding cell he was in and opened the gate wide, as if telling him to get the hell out. "… You're setting me free?"

"Not exactly, though I'd want you to see with your own eyes who my protégé is. And no, she's not the girl holding my pig, you idiot." She glared at the now smirking Uchiha.

"Is she even here?"

"Maybe just look for her. She's… quite easy to spot." With that, the blonde woman in her fifties walked out of the holding cell…

…Leaving Sasuke as to what he would do next.

* * *

Everyone was staring at him, and he wasn't exaggerating. 

As he walked down the streets of Konoha, all of the villagers were staring at him, as if he was some sight to behold, a tourist attraction even. He knew he was none of those; the remaining Uchiha survivor was an S-rank nukenin, wanted by Konohagakure no Sato, as well as the other Four Great Shinobi Countries..

He still did not understand how the mind of that old hag worked though.

Why did she set him free?

_Senile old hag_, he smirked to himself.

He'll just use this chance to escape Konoha, then.

* * *

"_Anou sa, anou sa_, I want pork ramen for today!" Uzumaki Naruto told old man Teuchi that late afternoon in the Ichiraku Ramen stall. Earlier during the day, his teammate, Sakura, had asked if he had wanted to join her for a late lunch, since the pink-haired kunoichi had been too busy taking care of patients to realize that it was already lunch time, and that she had to eat. 

Thankfully, it was Shizune who had reminded her to eat, prompting her into asking Naruto if he had wanted to join. He obliged.

"Ummm, beef ramen please, Teuchi-san." Sakura said politely to the ramen seller.

The owner of Ichiraku Ramen bar nodded his head in response while Ayame, his daughter, began to distribute the glasses of water for the two. While their ramen was being prepared, Sakura decided to open up the topic that everyone seemed to be talking about for today: Uchiha Sasuke. Naruto might not be aware of it right now, and it would be good if she tells him about it. At least, it would soften the blow…

"Naruto, have you heard?" she began.

"Hmm?" the Jinchuuriki echoed.

Before she could even continue her story, Teuchi chose this chance to announce their orders in a not-so quiet manner. "_**OSU**_! Naruto, pork ramen for you." He laid the bowl on the table. "And for Sakura, beef ramen."

The blond boy couldn't seem to help himself as of this time, and proceeded to eat his lunch, ignoring what his teammate was about to say to him. The cherry blossom, on the other hand, sighed and began to eat as well, quelling the 'screams' of her stomach. She didn't realize that she was THAT hungry…

_I guess it can wait for now…_

With their stomachs now filled with food, the fox and the medic nin thanked the owner for the nice meal. Haruno Sakura decided it would be the best time to open up the topic about the Sharingan user once more.

Naruto should know.

He should.

Sasuke was like a brother to him.

If they miss yet another opportunity to bring him back to Konoha when he was already so near…!

"Naruto, listen… I have to tell you something."

"Eh? What is it, Sakura-chan?"

"It is about—" before she could even get to the name of the person she would be talking about, yet another person interrupted them… and it turned out to be the son of Konoha's White Fang, Hatake Kakashi.

Team 7's sensei.

"Yo minna." The silver-haired Jounin greeted the two.

"Kakashi-sensei!" the two teenagers bellowed, and Naruto gave out the follow up question. "What are you doing here?!"

Copy Ninja Kakashi gave out a lazy grin beneath the mask he wore. "Well, I sure am hungry… and I want my favorite student to treat me to this free lunch that I've been dreaming of ever since I got Icha Icha Tactics." He then placed a hand on Yondaime Hokage's splitting image's shoulder. "You! Naruto! Care to buy me lunch?"

Before the blonde boy could even protest, his sensei began to drag him away to the direction of Yakiniku Q, Team Asuma's favorite restaurant, but not before shooting Sakura a look that said, 'Don't tell him yet.'

So he was also aware of the recent sightings of him...

_But when?! When do I tell Naruto about it, Kakashi-sensei!?_ She wanted to yell, but couldn't. She left the yelling in her mind, courtesy of Inner Sakura, who was much too happy to oblige with her request.

"Oh well… I'll tell him later." With that, she started to head back to the Konoha Hospital…

… until something, or rather, someone caught her eye.

The person's back was facing her direction, yet she did not have to see the person's face in order to know who he was.

The Uchiha clan symbol was etched at the back of the robes he wore.

_SASUKE!_

Sakura dashed at him as stealthily as possible and, as best as she could, gathered all the chakra she could muster right now and release it as she aimed a punch at his direction. Unfortunately, the Uchiha had managed to dodge the attack, and she was left to punch the ground, which had cracked, creating a crater that was at least meters in circumference.

"What are you doing here!?" she yelled at him in anger after landing on the crater she had just created with the force of her punch, combined with her own chakra. Her emerald green eyes were focused on the Uchiha, who was looking at her with boredom in his expression, though truth to be told, what she did was quite… surprising.

This one was a far-cry from the genin Sakura who only knew how to scream and cry when she gets in trouble. At least this person was much better than the twelve year old who kept screaming 'Sasuke-kun!' over and over again and was a worthless teammate.

"Uchiha Sasuke! I've asked you what you are doing here in Konoha!" the pink-haired medic nin asked once more, glaring at him. "Answer me!"

As usual, he gave no reply, leaving Sakura to wonder what his purpose was. An S-ranked nukenin in Konoha could spell trouble, as did with his older brother, who came to visit Konoha a few years back to obtain the Kyuubi sealed inside Uzumaki Naruto…

What if he came here to kill Naruto…?

Both her hands curled up into a fist. She will not allow such a thing to happen!

"You will not speak, then?" she jumped out of the crater. "Fine; I'll force you to talk."

Both nins disappeared into thin air and appeared right at the deck of the Hokage Office, overlooking the Hokage mountain. Both knew that starting a fight on the streets would cause damage worth thousands of ryo, and the fact that the sole Uchiha survivor was back in town meant that there would be heavy commotion in the village, and neither of the two would back down from the fight that had been commenced earlier.

Sasuke readied himself for the fight, though he wished he still had the Kusanagi with him. The Grass Cutter sword was a nice weapon to have, for it easily inflicted injuries on his opponents. He didn't want to use even an ounce of chakra while fighting this girl in front of him, for it was too precious to waste. Sakura was not worth any—

Another punch.

The ground cracked, and he was almost unable to dodge the attack.

He cursed.

Damn her for making him lose his concentration!

She tossed yet another punch through his way, and while he had managed to stop it using his left hand, the short-haired kunoichi followed it up with her other fist. The raven-haired young man had stopped the other attack by grabbing her left arm, but failed to see the hidden ploy behind the last attack. The cherry blossom grabbed his right arm in return and focused some chakra on her left hand…

_Take this._

The sound of bones literally being broken echoed throughout the fighting area, and instead of screaming in pain like the typical nin, Uchiha Sasuke managed a wince. Damn, but it did hurt, both his arm and his ego.

_Damn this woman. How and when did she become so violent?!_

He had to let go of her when the pain in his arm became unbearable, and when he did, she jumped away from him, readying yet another attack to use on him when a voice interrupted them.

"What a nice way to greet your fiancée."

* * *

And that ends our chapter 2! Do review if you have the time. We really appreciate reviews! 


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks for all the reviews, guys! Erestor and I appreciate it very much, so here's Chapter 3 for you all! Do enjoy!

Disclaimer: We do not own Naruto. It belongs to Kishimoto Masashi. We, however, only own the plot for this fanfiction.

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**Chapter 3  
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_Fiancee..._

Glaring hard at the Godaime Hokage, Sasuke resisted the urge to shout obscenities at the said woman for even throwing such a misleading and very preposterous idea at him.

Sakura Haruno, that die-hard fan girl of his, as **his **fiancée?

Truth be told, he had half a mind to tell Tsunade off for meddling in his affairs, but the little part in him that still held value to social courtesy had told him to do otherwise. Sighing softly, he bitterly resigned himself to his fate, though still hoping with all his might that he could just pass the whole thing off as a sick joke on his part. But he knew, without a doubt, that it was an absolute far cry from happening.

Well, he needed his answers.

And the sooner he gets them, the better.

Very much aware that Tsunade doesn't take too lightly to insubordination, he opted to go with the indirect route to achieving his ends. It was quite a miracle that he still hadn't gone mental with all the recent abuse that he'd endured on his head, much courtesy of which was placed on the Slug Sannin herself.

"Fiancee…?" Sasuke ventured slowly, quickly noting on how the question had sounded completely flat coming right from his lips. He suppressed the uncharacteristic shudder that ran through him as he felt the bitter aftertaste in his mouth, with the unpleasant sensation leaving quickly as it came.

Tsunade resisted the urge to gloat victory at the young man before her, even going as far so as to not even bothering to mask her obvious delight in finally having the Uchiha squirming uncomfortably under her gaze.

How she had waited to get payback for the trouble that he had caused her in all those years that he had gone missing…

Well, there was no use in ending her fun now.

Let him wait.

Smirking discreetly, she chose to answer him indirectly, knowing that it would quickly rile the Uchiha up.

"I see that you've already met the protégé that I was actually pertaining to in that little conversation that we had a while back, Uchiha. And about time too, I might add."

* * *

Sasuke gritted his teeth quietly, downright furious for having been given such a vague answer. Simmering down for a bit, he knew to a painful fault that he was currently in no position to argue with the amber-eyed woman, lest he would want to suffer the consequences. 

_Damn that old hag…_

Attempting to smile at Tsunade once again, his latest attempt had ended as a grimace. "Who's your protégé then?" he asked softly.

Tsunade visibly winced at the sight before her, realizing that the Uchiha's awkward change of expressions may have had looked quite painful to many. She was quite tempted to give the boy a break; he looked liked he needed it very badly.

But she had to agree, something this good was so hard to pass up. How rare it was nowadays to see an Uchiha looking so flustered, probably even more so, when the Uchiha that she was currently talking about was the legendary human ice cube, Uchiha Sasuke?

Truth be told, she haven't had this much fun since ages. The Uchiha was so easy to rile up, and very much predictable to a fault. Pushing his buttons a little bit more wouldn't hurt, right?

Well, she wouldn't know for sure until she'd try. Maybe, just maybe… he'll find it in his heart to forgive her later on - or probably not, fully aware of the all-too-famous Uchiha temper and the nasty penchant that the boy had for revenge.

Tsunade shivered inwardly, imagining if she ever were to be the target of that avenger thing that the kid had going on for years now… But she wasn't the Godaime Hokage for nothing; she could probably get away with it. Probably.

No pain, no gain… right?

"Say the magic words, Uchiha."

Either way, she wins.

Sasuke closed his eyes tightly, breathing harshly. That was the final straw.

_Propriety, be damned!_

He opened his eyes, the signature dark red bleeding right into his irises. Though it'd hurt his pride to admit it, he was already beat - right arm hurting like hell because of that freakish display of medical prowess that Sakura had used on him earlier.

And now, to give him this…

He was tired of listening to reason. He had had enough.

"Who the fuck is my fiancée?!"

"What fiancée?"

Awkward silence had surrounded all of them, as both smug amber and furious dark red clashed with curious green.

* * *

"What fiancée?" Sakura reiterated, voice shaking. She didn't like it one bit that she was being ignored so casually by both mentor and former teammate, as if she wasn't even there in the first place. 

Just by hearing the heated verbal exchange between the two, she knew that something was definitely amiss with the whole situation. It hadn't even helped that she had caught the guilty look that briefly passed her mentor's face at the mere mention of the word 'fiancee'.

Truth be told, she was rather disappointed in Tsunade for acting so childishly given the current situation. But after years of close student-teacher bonding, she finally got used to it, fully aware that the amber-eyed woman had almost always meant well in her thoughts and actions, though much to the chagrin of many.

Add to that the sight of the normally stoic-looking Sasuke acting so flustered all of a sudden… Sasuke, of all people! Way back then when they were still teammates, she was absolutely sure that there were only a few select things that could actually faze the boy - and for him to be seen acting this way, probably spoke volumes on how grave the matter really was.

_What the hell is going on around here…?_

Sakura ran her fingers through her short pink locks, sighing softly. She glared hard at the bored, impassive faces before her, inwardly seething. What she would just give to knock their faces in…

_Okay, Sakura. Take in deep breaths. That's the spirit! Just ignore the violent impulses. Erase all thoughts of beheading these guys and promptly propping their pretty little heads on a stick for just deciding to outright ignore you. Think happy thoughts. Hmm… happy thoughts. Ignore--_

Screw this.

Sakura promptly slammed the heel of her right foot at the ground, creating a nasty fissure that was currently hurtling fast towards the seemingly unsuspecting people in front of her. It had irked her even more that they hadn't even bothered to move away from their respective places, but upon closer inspection, she could clearly see the underlying shock showing in their expressions.

She crossed her arms over her chest, an impatient foot tapping at the ground. God help her, if they would ever decide to be particularly pig-headed now, of all times. She was done being nice.

"Talk."

Awkward silence.

Sakura closed her eyes, a nerve just threatening to burst out of her head. What did she do to ever deserve this?! To be stuck trying to extract information from these, these_ insufferable_ people?! She raised a shaking fist as she made her next move, quickly lunging for the people in front of her.

"**_Shannaro_**! Don't say I didn't warn you!"

There was a large commotion as her punch missed, the chakra-infused fist soundly making contact with the ground. Varying debris and rocks went flying everywhere, some even going as far so as to hit the nearby buildings, but she could hardly even give a care. She stood up from the newly-created crater that had formed beneath her; eyes alit with a feral glint.

Emerald eyes quickly trailing after both mentor and former teammate, she cursed softly, very much frustrated for missing with her attack earlier. She took a brief moment to herself to analyze things, deciding on what the next best course of action to take.

And then she was quick to move, going for the injured yet seemingly relaxed-looking Uchiha that was leaning leisurely at a nearby tree. Not even wincing as fragments of the broken trunk had pierced her skin, she gritted her teeth in anger, ever unmindful of the myriad number of leaves that were currently raining down in pieces around her.

"Damn it! Just stay put in one place, will you?!"

* * *

_Hmm… she's pissed._

Shaking his head at the disaster area before him, Sasuke grinned lazily, thoroughly enjoying the little ruse that he was getting out of the pink-haired girl. Who knew that she did have it in her to do these sorts of things when she's mad?

_Well, definitely not me… that's for sure._

Eyes widening slightly as Sakura had come for him once again, he moved back just in time, the tiles of the roof that he was standing on before, now flying in pieces all over the place.

Quickly making his way behind the pink-haired girl, he tapped her at the shoulder gently, not failing to catch the fist that was then promptly sent towards his direction. Grimacing slightly at the impact, he slowly neared his face to hers as he asked innocently, his hot breath sending delightful shivers down the medic's spine. "Had your fill of fun yet?"

"Let me go, you pervert!"

Sakura fought hard to squirm out of the Uchiha's grip, downright furious at having been caught so easily. It didn't even help that she had felt the abrupt rise of temperature and the oh-so-familiar rushing of blood to her cheeks. Oh, the horror of it all! She knew it. He knew it. Everyone knew it. And there was no denying it.

She. Was. Blushing.

Bowing her head in sheer embarrassment, she quickly chastised herself for even enjoying all the unspeakable things that the Uchiha was currently doing to her. Though she hated to admit it, the close proximity between them was killing her slowly but surely. Damn him for being such a bishounen! And damn her for acting like a lovesick fan girl!

"Ehem."

Sakura looked up, surprised, as she felt a warm hand place itself on her right shoulder.

"Eh, Tsunade-shisou?!"

Shooting a meaningful glance at the Uchiha to let go, Tsunade quickly pried the flustered Sakura away from the said boy's arms. Quick to take up the role of a disapproving yet very amused teacher that had caught her students doing something absolutely naughty, she shook her head slowly, a sly grin on her lips, as she prodded on teasingly.

"Well, well… aren't we particularly naughty today?"

Though the Uchiha had remained unfazed through it all, it was a completely different case altogether for Sakura. The pink-haired girl had looked away promptly at those words, fiercely blushing to the roots of her hair.

Seeing that she wasn't about to get any replies any time soon, Tsunade continued on amiably, a knowing smile on her lips. "And now, on to business… I think that you've both waited long enough." Nodding lightly, she inclined her head towards the apprehensive Sasuke while gesturing towards the curious Sakura, as she continued on softly.

"Sasuke, I would like you to meet my _other_ protégé and _your_ fiancée, Sakura Haruno."

* * *

This was not happening. 

Over. Her. Dead. Body.

"But you can't!" Sakura started, pissed beyond words. She was desperately looking for any signs of Tsunade hesitating, her hopeful expression quickly dropping at the sight of the unbending resolve shining through the older woman's eyes.

She was getting desperate.

"I just can't get married to--" Sakura paused for breath; thinking of a suitable enough term that would have had clearly voiced out the frustration that she was particularly feeling at the moment. "--to **that**!" The green-eyed girl pointed, whole body shaking with barely-suppressed rage, at the Uchiha who had then raised a fine eyebrow at the sudden gesture, finding her all-too-random antics to be vaguely amusing. "I barely even know him!" She ended with a huff, as she stomped her feet angrily.

Swallowing her pride with much difficulty, she quickly turned towards Sasuke, glaring heatedly at him as she said pleadingly. "Uchiha, help me out here! Don't you even dare say that you're wholly agreeing to what she's suggesting?!"

She only got a blank stare in return for her efforts, as the Uchiha had shrugged lightly while turning his gaze elsewhere, acting as if he had not a care for the world.

_So much for asking for help…_

Sighing softly, she was about to open her mouth to protest once more, but was stopped midway, her mentor's index finger at her lips.

"Just hear me out, okay?"

Sakura could only nod gravely in response, feeling a deep migraine coming on.

* * *

She hated it that she was making her student feel pain for even suggesting such a task, but it really had to be done. Tsunade smiled bitterly despite herself. They were pretty much alike. She could probably even go as far so as to say that Sakura was a perfect mini-version of herself. 

But, if forced between personal feelings and duty, what would her protégé choose? As the kage of their village, she was always expected to honor duty above everything else. The question was - could she also expect the same thing from her protégé?

The amber-eyed woman irritably ruffled her blonde tresses, sighing softly. How she wished that she had her trusty bottle of sake with her…

_Well, here goes nothing…_

"As we all know, Sasuke is the lone surviving Uchiha to date. The Uchiha Clan's Kekkei Genkai is very powerful, pretty much making it a valuable asset to the village. Thus, we can't very well afford to let it die out."

Tsunade paused briefly, waiting to hear if there were any violent reactions coming from the two before her. Hearing none, she continued on.

"This is where the two of you come in."

Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself to look particularly nonchalant, crossing her arms over her chest, as she felt the tension suddenly rise between the three of them. "From now on, consider yourselves engaged to each other. You will be repopulating the Uchiha clan _together_. I will only be expecting strict compliance from the both of you. No ifs, no buts. Understood?"

"Hai."

_Well, guess their taking the news too well…_

"Good. I would also like to take the time now to remind you of a few things."

Tsunade laughed inwardly, seeing the troubled expressions of the couple before her. Guess they thought that they were already home free… Well, they thought wrong then.

"To avoid arousing suspicion among your peers, I _order_ you to show _everyone_ that you're dating each other. It's up to you to come to an agreement on what's totally acceptable behavior between the two of you. I do, however, _require_ you to hold hands, hug and have that customary kiss between you every once in a while in public. And also, you are not to be found alone with the opposite sex. We wouldn't want any scandals happening any time soon, right?"

She could see that the Uchiha was trying hard to look unfazed, and barely succeeding at that. It was quite a shame that she couldn't say the same thing for her apprentice. Failing to act indifferent was a definite understatement. The poor girl was clearly looking so flustered.

Unfortunately for them, there were far worse things to come after that.

"Ten days from now, you will be having an engagement party. And the wedding comes five days after that. I'm telling you this so that you won't be caught unaware with your pants down once the time comes." Tsunade appeared to look thoughtful for a moment.

"Besides, the sooner you get married, the earlier you could get started at rebuilding the clan."

Sasuke had now choked on his spit, unable to look at her in the eyes anymore. Sakura, by this time, had found the ground beneath her to be particularly interesting at the moment. Well, both of them were definitely blushing now.

And now, for the finale…

"Lastly--"

Tsunade faced Sakura, a serious expression on her face.

"I'll be expecting you to be at Sasuke's place, 24 hours from now. You will be moving in with him. _Permanently_."

All hell broke loose after that.

"TSUNADE-SHISOU!"

_So much for taking the news too well…_

Eyes widening at the sheer size of the fissure that was promptly sent at her direction, Tsunade jumped at the roof of a nearby building to successfully avoid it. She could only stifle a gasp as she had found herself to be almost too late in dodging the giant fireball that had then followed after.

As soon as the harsh flames had died down, she glared playfully at the couple below her as she called out teasingly, just before making her great escape.

"I suggest that you run along now and do those things that I told you to do! Play nice now!"

And before they knew it, she was already gone, lost among the fabulous display of intense wind and swirling leaves.

"_Matte, Tsunade-shisou_!"

Sakura could only stare forlornly at the scene before her, still shaken with the recent developments in her pretty much fucked up life. She would be having a nice one on one with her mentor later. That's for sure.

But for now…

Sakura sneaked a glance at the silent Uchiha beside her, rather appalled at his apparent lack of reaction. They were practically joined to the hip now! And he was acting like the whole thing was completely normal. _In his standards, that is._ She thought sarcastically.

She sighed softly, tucking a loose strand of pink hair behind her right ear. Smiling shakily up at him, she turned her gaze at the distance, asking softly.

"So… what now?"

* * *

Thus ends chapter 3. Do leave a review! XD

* * *


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